6 AM - not as bad as I thought. For some reason I had 4:00 in the back of my head. Lord Lynch will think this is a walk in the park! (Although he might have to go to work before the game ends)In other news - A hometown hero, Don Cardwell, passed away Monday. I grew up with his son Gary, and his (Don's) wife was the Den Mother of our Cub Scout pack when I was a Bear Cub. We saw several baseball games that year as a group, albeit single A Winston-Salem Red Sox games.Don, of course, wasn't around a whole lot, but I followed him after I met Gary, around 1964, as he pitched for the Pirates and then the Mets. Cardwell pitched a no-hitter in 1960 for the Cubs, which I heard about later, as I was only 2 at the time. The REALLY big deal was that he threw 1 inning in Game 1 of the '69 series for the 'Mazing Mets. With the connection to Gary, I actually took a liking to the upstart Mets and that wild Tom Terrific. After all, they were NL, so who really cared? And Nolan Ryan went on to become one of my all-time favorites, although he was just starting when Cardwell was with the Mets. After baseball, like so many former ballplayers, he was a top car salesman for the local Ford dealership.I don't want to clog up RS's site with the whole story, but I'm writing a little piece on watching the Series that year as a 5th grader whose good friend's father was on one of the teams. I'm going to put it on my poor little neglected blog - Sock in the South.It's a shame it took the death of someone I knew to prod me into posting, but....

6 AM - Lord Lynch will think that's a breeze!In other news - A hometown hero, Don Cardwell, passed away Monday here in Winston-Salem. He lived in the suberb of Clemmons, where I do. I grew up with his son Gary all through grade school. His (Don's) wife was the Den Mother for our Cub Scout pack when I was a Bear Cub - I believe that's around 3rd grade.Cardwell pitched for 5 different ML teams - the Cards and Cubs before I was old enough to remember, then the Pirates and Mets, finishing up with the Braves in 1970. He pitched a no-hitter for the Cubs in 1960, not that I remember. I was only 2! But the BIG deal was in 1969. He pitched 1 inning in the World Series for the 'Mazing Mets.After baseball he worked at a local Ford dealership until he retired last year.I don't want to clog up the JoS site with the whole story, but I'm writing a little piece with more on Don, that series, and on being a 5th grader with a friend whose dad is playing on the biggest stage. I'm putting it on my poor, neglected, little blog - Sock in the South. A shame it took the death of someone I knew to prod me into writing.....

So, wait, are we gonna sit around and live with this "one vote per round" thing? Someone's gotta come up with a way to beat this system. This is America! Home of the rigged vote! Oh, wait, it's Canada.... so, the only thing I've got left is a plug on my blog for the vote, which I'll be sure to do soon. We've got to get to round two and then put on the big push! I mean, uh, YOU have to get to round two. I'm totally the "Seinfeld's mechanic" of this blog, aren't I?

I'm totally stoked for Japan opening day. Might get to see the whole game before I go into work (10 a.m.). Seems like a lot of people (no offense) are whining about it, and I don't really understand why. What are you losing, maybe two hours of sleep on average (assuming 8 a.m. wake-up)? For Red Sox opening day, that seems acceptable. I'm losing more sleep than that (I get up past 9), and I still think it's pretty awesome.

Devine said... I'm totally stoked for Japan opening day. Might get to see the whole game before I go into work (10 a.m.). Seems like a lot of people (no offense) are whining about it, and I don't really understand why.

For me it has nothing to do with the time.It has to do with playing in Japan in March...its stupid

Seems like a lot of people (no offense) are whining about it, and I don't really understand why. What are you losing, maybe two hours of sleep on average (assuming 8 a.m. wake-up)? For Red Sox opening day, that seems acceptable.

It's not like I'm not going to watch the game, but seeing as the game is of such massive symbolic importance to Red Sox fans, shouldn't it at least be played at a time that works for those fans? Couldn't they do it during June or something?

If you're a kid who's not allowed to stay up late or skip school (assuming you've lived in this childlike state for the last 25 years), the only full Opening Day game you've seen since '82 would be the '03 opener in Tampa Bay, which was the only east coast, weekday night game. A 6 AM game is a rare chance for the average worker or student to actually see at least the first half of an Opening Day game, provided you have an alarm clock.

As for the games being played in June--for a trip to Japan, you have to do it at the start of the season, as there would be too much of a disruption at any other time.

And you can't have the Japanese people who attend the game go there at 3 AM just so we spoiled North Americans don't have to get up an hour or two early. By that date, we'll be so itching for a real game, I think we'll all happily get up at 6. (Even people like me who will go to great lengths to avoid ever having to get up before noon.)

I think 6 AM is brilliant. Haven't you ever thought to yourself in the morning, "Man. 7:00 tonight can't come soon enough. I want me some baseball!" Of course, work and school does come into play. If I was still in high school I'd probably come in late after the game.

Why were you late? Oh, I was watching the Red Sox game. That would be a head-turner for people who aren't aware.

SoSock, I just read your post about Don Cardwell and the 69 Mets. I was a Mets fan back then, and I remember Don Cardwell (as well as Seaver and Nolan Ryan and Jerry Koosman, etc.). I was a huge Nolan Ryan fan back then, even though he was wild as anything. I knew he was going to be great. (I was in high school at the time, dating a guy from Queens--thus, the Mets connection.) My favorite player on the 69 Mets, though, was Jerry Grote....for no good reason. I just have always liked catchers.

Does this mean Japan will get to see Dice-K play in game two? And if somehow the Sox end up with Santana, would Dice-K not pitch in either game? That would be ironic.I can't imagine Dice not pitching in either game. I mean, they could pitch him in one of the 2 exhibitions, but I tend to think they will let Japan see him in a meaningful game, even if he does not wind up being the regular #2 man. After the 2nd game they have an off day to fly back, then play 5 straight days before being off 2 of the next 5 days. That would give Tito plenty of places to adjust his rotation back into shape.Amy - I haven't finished the piece yet, I spend too much time on JoS, WMTC, & RSFFPT to write on my own site! But I intend to finish it today before the Carolina game. It will be at sosock.blogspot.com.I'm a fan of underdogs, as I mention in the one story I have posted on that blog. When you add the fact that I was a friend of a Mets' pitcher, well I was a fan too, at least from 67 to 69. But the Sox were still #1!

Hahaha! This whole conversation is funny. I'm going to be glued to the boob tube no matter when opening day is (though I question that 6 am can be referred to as "day" quite - at least not until slightly later in the year.) Mostly I'm just going to miss beer. Even I can't drink beer at 6 am...